Happy New Year
by xXxThe Phantom's RosexXx
Summary: "Happy New Year, girlfriend." My take on "the talk" in honor of tomorrow night.


**Author's Note: In honor of tomorrow, this is my take on "the talk." One other fanfiction had it set at Adam's New Year's Party, so I hope no one thinks I'm stealing ideas. Love you all, hope you enjoy! Also, I do not own Degrassi.**

Happy New Year

Clare Edwards took a deep breath and glanced at herself in the full-length mirror hanging over the back of her closet door. She adjusted the green taffeta dress so it hung just so on her body. She flipped her freshly-curled locks over her shoulders, and made sure that each and every fly-away strand was in place. She leaned in, practically touching her cheek to the glass, in order to make sure that her makeup had been applied spotlessly.

"Stop it," Ali jumped up off the bed, her hot pink dress swishing as she walked over to Clare, and put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "You look drop-dead gorgeous, and you know it. So stop freaking, okay?"

"She's right," Jenna nodded from where she leaned against the wall in her gold sequin dress, "You look amazing, Clare. And you're making us late, so let's get a move on, okay?"

Clare smiled at the two girls in the reflection of the mirror. Ali and Jenna had come by about an hour ago in order for the threesome to get ready together. Clare also knew that they had stopped by to offer as much moral support as they possibly could. Tonight was the big night. Apparently, according to Adam, Eli's flight had got in yesterday evening. This would be the first time Clare would see him since their shared kiss at the Frostival, and she had been all nerves.

"Adam will murder you if you're late," Ali reminded her, "So let's go!"

"Alright, alright," Clare pulled herself away from the mirror, "I just…I don't even know what I am going to say to him!"

"Um, nothing," Jenna made a 'duh-face' and rolled and her eyes, "Sweetie, in case you forgot, you were the one that kissed him. The ball is in his court, and it's his turn to make the move."

Clare turned to Ali, nervously seeking a second opinion. Ali nodded, "She's right. It's up to Eli now. Come on, Adam will be freaking if you don't get there soon."

Clare agreed, and followed Ali and Jenna out to Jenna's car. Adam had been planning this huge bash for over a week, and even though that didn't seem like much time, Clare knew that this would be a huge deal for him. Fiona had apparently decided to stay in Canada, and Adam had thrown a big party in her honor. Clare had no idea what it was like for Adam to see Fiona with Imogen, but it was big of him to be doing this. He would need as much support as he could get.

He had called Clare the night before to let her about Eli's flight, and to inform her ahead of time that he would definitely be at the party. It had been good of him, and Clare had greatly appreciated him doing that for her.

"It'll be fine, Clare," Adam had tried to be assuring, "Besides, you're going to have to face him at some point."

"Has he…has he mentioned…"

"Nuh-uh," she had practically seen Adam wagging his finger at her through the phone, "You know better than to ask me that. I'm Switzerland here, okay? This is you and Eli's deal; you two are going to handle it on your own."

Clare had rolled her eyes and argued, getting her nowhere. Adam had been adamant about not sharing information over enemy lines. He was there to support Clare, and he was there to support Eli. He would never even consider using that against them.

As Jenna blasted some pop song Clare didn't quite recognize, she felt her heart hammer away at her chest cavity. What if it burst through? It'd ruin her dress and be totally mortifying. Clare sunk down lower in the backseat, saying a silent prayer that everything would go smoothly tonight.

"Um, you do realize that's just Coke, right?" Adam eyed his best friend as he chugged a second cup of soda.

"Yeah," Eli set the cup down on the kitchen counter and glanced around at the familiar faces milling around the Torres' house, "So, is she here yet? Have you seen her?"

"Dude, chill," Adam clapped him on the shoulder, "She's not here yet, but she texted me saying that she, Jenna, and Ali were all on their way. Just try to calm down, okay? You look like a nervous wreck."

"I can't help it," Eli hissed, yanking at the collar of his black button down shirt, "So, how do I look?"

"Dude," Adam shook his head, "No…just…no."

Clare stepped out of Jenna's car and hopped over the puddle against the curb. Her heels were already killing her, and she wished Ali had just let her wear flats. But no, she had insisted on picking out Clare's outfit – right down to the black sequin pumps.

"You'll be okay," Jenna tucked an auburn fly-away back into place as she met Clare's eyes, "It's you and Eli. This shouldn't be scary."

"I know it shouldn't be scary, but it is and that's what scares me," Clare turned to Ali and looked at her best friend sheepishly, "Are you sure this makeup isn't too much? This eyeliner feels like it's a bit too…"

"You look beautiful," Ali answered genuinely, "Alright, let's go make our entrance."

Together, they headed up the front walk to Adam's door. Ali was the one that rang the doorbell, and when Adam answered, Clare felt a rush of relief flood over her.

"Wow," Adam's eyes widened, "You look…_wow_!"

"Thanks, Adam," Clare blushed self-consciously, "You look great too!"

"Who said that was a good wow," Adam teased, opening the door wider so he could pull Clare into a hug. As he hugged her, he whispered, "He's a nervous wreck."

"That makes two of us," Clare whispered back, mid-embrace.

"Hey," Jenna folded her arms over her chest, "What about us?" She demanded, "I feel neglected."

"You two look great too," Adam grinned, welcoming them into his home, "There's sodas and food and shit in the kitchen. Just hang out and have fun, alright? There's a countdown going until Midnight. Make sure you all get that New Year's kiss," Adam winked at Clare, who in turn rolled her eyes.

"No promises."

They headed to the kitchen first to grab drinks. Clare poured herself a Sprite in hopes that it would ease the butterflies metamorphosing inside her stomach. She needed to chill. She needed to get her bearings and just calm down.

"Hey," Jenna lifted her red cup towards the patio. Clare followed the gesture, and spotted Eli standing next to a rose bush talking to a group of people.

"Oh gosh," Clare ducked behind Ali, "I can't go over there now. He's talking."

"Ball is in his court, remember?" Jenna raised an eyebrow, "So mill about. Make him notice you. Make him not be able to take his eyes off of you. Make _him_ come to _you_."

"Guys, this is so not my area of expertise," Clare blushed.

In response, Ali shoved her towards the patio door, and hissed, "Go have fun!"

Clare gulped and handed her red Solo cup to Jenna before heading outside. She found Conner talking to KC and decided that that would be a good place to start. They were close enough to Eli where he'd be able to see her, but far enough to make it appear not so intentional. Clare felt like she had just stepped out of some cheesy John Huges film. Cue Simple Minds one-hit-wonder.

"Clare?" KC's brow furrowed, "Wow, you look…_wow_!"

"Thanks," Clare blushed, and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, reminding herself to trust Ali more with future fashion choices, "Did you two have a great winter break?"

"Yeah, we spent Christmas at my grandparents'," KC explained, "Which was nice."

"I got underwear for Christmas," Conner chimed in, and KC glared at him, "Oh, sorry. Is that not an appropriate thing to say?"

"It's fine, Conner," Clare smiled reassuringly, "We just stayed in town for Christmas. Nothing too special. So, Adam can throw a pretty awesome party, huh?"

"Yeah," KC lifted the red cup, sloshing with soda, "So, uh…you got a shadow."

Clare turned and noticed Eli, still talking to the group he was with, glancing over in her direction. His eyes were wide, and he seemed severely distracted by her presence.

"Yeah," Clare winced, bashfully, "We haven't really talked since working on the paper together," Clare decided against telling them about the kiss. Sometimes, she wished she had never kissed him. They had been doing so well, and just seconds before had been talking about how great it was to be around each other without awkwardness. Now there was awkwardness, thanks to her and that dumb kiss.

"Ah," Conner nodded, "Still doing it for his own good?"

"I don't know," Clare admitted, "Is he coming over here?"

"No," KC grinned, "You're in the clear for now. But, you do have his full attention though. Did Ali help you get dressed tonight?"

"Hey," Clare smacked his shoulder, "I am perfectly capable of…okay yeah, she did," Clare finally gave in, blushing.

"She has good tastes," KC nodded, approvingly, "Uh-oh, we've got company."

"Guys…"

"Catch you on the flip-side, Clare," KC lifted his drink to her before he and Connor backed off.

"_Don't leave me_!" Clare hissed, fear overwhelming her. Too late…she was completely alone. Then she felt the tap on her shoulder. For a moment, Clare didn't want to turn around. Turning around would make this whole ordeal real, and she wasn't sure if she could face that.

"Clare?"

"Eli," Clare turned around and was met by wide emerald eyes.

"You look…_wow_."

"Thank you," she blushed ferociously, and prayed that Eli wouldn't notice; however, the smirk playing at his lips seemed to indicate otherwise.

"Did you have a good winter break?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was alright. I mean, it was weird not spending it with my parents together…but I guess I'll just have to get used to that. Glen's family came over, and Mom had this huge family dinner. It was kind of nice, but…"

"Not the same?" Eli finished for her, sensing that she was slightly overwhelmed.

"Exactly!" Clare nodded enthusiastically, "That's _exactly_ how it felt. Like, it was nice and everything, but it felt like another family's Christmas."

"I'm sorry. Yeah, we didn't do much…just visited my grandmother."

"How is she?"

"Fine would be an understatement," Eli rolled his eyes, "That woman dragged us on this hike to go get the tree, and we were all out of breath but she was plowing ahead the whole time."

"That's great," Clare said, honestly.

"Clare," Eli shifted his weight, "Um…why don't we go talk?"

"Oh," Clare bit her lower lip. So this was really it then? In her mind, she had imagined this scenario probably over a thousand times. Now that it was suddenly really happening, all those practice speeches and rehearsals in front of her stuffed animals seemed to fly out the window.

"Unless you don't want to," Eli's face fell, and Clare was quick to reply.

"No, no I want to. Um…it's kind of crazy right now. Where should we go to talk?"

"I got something to show you," Eli's eyes suddenly lit up, "Come on!" He led Clare back into the house and out the front door to the curbs where the cars were parked, "So, for Christmas my dad kind of did the most _awesome_ thing I think a dad could do for his kid…or at least, my dad could do for me."

"What?" Clare laughed as Eli jogged down the sidewalk, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see!" Eli's voice was light, joyful and Clare was beginning to feel like things were back to normal. She tried to get that out of her head though; whenever things felt back to normal, she usually screwed it up somehow.

"Ta-da!" Eli extended his arms towards the shiny black hearse.

"Oh my God!" Clare's jaw fell lax, "Is this…"

"Yup! Bullfrog had him fixed up for me. Of course, I am expected to pay him back for half the costs at some point, but he told me for now to just enjoy having him back."

"That's great, Eli!" Clare ran her hand along the familiar hood, "It's amazing."

"Of course he is," Eli lovingly polished the hood with the sleeve of his jacket, "So about that talk?"

"Yeah, about that," Clare awkwardly laughed, "Um…look, Eli, I am really sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Eli's brow furrowed, concern lacing his face.

"For the…uh…kiss. It was really inappropriate and I shouldn't have kissed you right before you left for break and…"

"Clare," Eli scolded sternly, "Don't apologize for that, alright?"

"I just…"

"Clare, you kissed me. The least you could do is let me get in a few words, alright?" Eli let a small smile tug at the corner of his lips, "Look, Clare…there is a lot between us, and that can't just be ignored. You are the one person that seems to know me better than I know myself. You're the one person that just…that just gets it, ya know? There's too much there…too much of a…"

"Connection?" Clare finished for him.

"You feel that too?"

"Yeah," Clare leaned against the door of the hearse, "I just…I don't really know what we should."

"It's simple," Eli leaned next to her, "Do you like me, yes or no."

"Eli…"

"Answer the question, Edwards."

"There's so much to factor in," Clare objected, "Like your disorder, and my parents' divorce, and you graduating in a few months…"

"It's a yes or no question, not a dissertation."

"Fine," Clare gave in, "I like you…but that doesn't excuse all those other issues…"

"If you like me," Eli rolled his head to meet her eyes, "Then those other issues don't count for shit."

"Eli," Clare protested, "We can't just…there's so much to think about and…"

"There's nothing to think about," Eli nudged her knee with his, "You like me. I like you."

"You do?"

"Do I need to spell it out in the sky?" Eli rolled his eyes, "I haven't stopped thinking about you for a second. I never have, and I don't think I ever will. I like you, Edwards. Hell," Eli ran a hand through his hair and laughed a dry laugh, "Who am I trying to kid? I love you, Edwards. Always have, and always will. Like it or not."

"Eli…" Clare was suddenly at a loss for words. She loved him too, but there was so much to take into consideration. She didn't want to just jump into anything without giving it at least some thought.

"Stop it, Edwards. You're over-analyzing. Just smile and say, 'Happy New Year, boyfriend' and kiss me."

"Wha…what?"

"Damn it, Clare – do I have to do _everything_?" Eli didn't waste a second before grabbing her and pulling her into a kiss. After pulling away, Eli smiled and said, "Happy New Year, girlfriend."

Clare blushed, reached up and touched his cheek with her hand, "Happy New Year, boyfriend."

**Author's Note: So…who else is like majorly FREAKING OUT for tomorrow night? I know I am! **


End file.
